Four Children Die Linked to a Commonly Used Pet Food Fumigant

In a lawsuit brought against Mars Petcare we learned about a commonly used fumigant used on food/pet food ingredients – aluminum phosphide. This same fumigant was recently responsible for the deaths of four children. How dangerous is aluminum phosphide to our pets?

In Amarillo Texas on New Years Day 2017, someone used a chemical fumigant (aluminum phosphide) under a house. Four children in that house died the next day. “When Aluminum Phosphide is mixed with water or any moisture, it produces a toxic Phosphine gas, which is what took the lives of these occupants. One resident of the east Amarillo home was trying to kill mice and placed the pesticide underneath their home, then applied water. They were already getting an odor and they were trying to suppress the vapors.”

Aluminum phosphide is directly linked to pet food (and human food). Thanks to bits and pieces learned from a lawsuit filed against Mars Petcare, we know that aluminum phosphide is commonly used to fumigate pet food ingredients. The 2012 lawsuit claimed phoshine gases “were allowed to accumulate and disburse into the Mars plant at unsafe levels.”

An anonymous employee of the pet food plant stated “We know there was stuff coming in that was fumigated and was not listed as being fumigated that went straight into making pet food.” In other words, this anonymous employee claimed that a deadly fumigate was added directly into the pet food.

A statement made by Mars Petcare to KOAM TV seems to confirm that it is common practice for aluminum phosphide to be added into pet food. Julie Lawless (interesting last name) of Mars Petcare provided KOAM TV with a statement, declaring “Our products are tested by various state and federal agencies for phosphine.”

Why would Mars Petcare products (food and treats) be tested by state and federal agencies for phosphine?

I can only think of one reason…my guess is that it is common practice for Mars Petcare and other pet food manufacturers to fumigate pet food ingredients with aluminum phosphide. State and federal agencies know that some of these fumigates end up in the pet food and they test for toxic levels.

This is beyond concerning.

How many times have you or someone you know opened up a new bag of pet food reporting it had an odd smell? Is that odd smell a fumigate that was added directly into the pet food – sealed up in the bag? Do we need to wear a hazmat suit each time we open a new bag of pet food to protect us from a toxic gas? Is your pet going to be exposed to a toxic gas while consuming the food?

What we don’t know about the manufacturing of pet food is concerning. What we don’t know about the fumigation of ingredients and the effects of those fumigants on our pets (and the employees making the pet food) is quite concerning. Until it is public information – what fumigants are used, if it is common practice for some of the fumigants to go into the pet food, the results from the pet foods those state and federal agencies tested – how can veterinarians even treat a pet that become ill?

Come clean Big Pet Food…tell us everything. We deserve to know.

I will be asking state authorities and FDA about this issue at the upcoming AAFCO meeting. If I learn more, it will be provided to all. Until we learn more, I would encourage consumers that open a bag or can of pet food that has an off smell to seal the bag/can and remove it from your home. Report the off odor to FDA (you can do that by clicking here) and to your State Department of Agriculture (you can find your state authority by clicking here). Ask them to test the pet food for phosphine and ask for a copy of the results.

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Comments 8

Anyone who’s read my comments before, knows nothing is taken lightly. For any company not able to, or unable to, explain WHY a chemical is used, and how, and what are the safeguards, shouldn’t be patronized. Period. Oh gosh, I guess that means Mars!

I can see a Plant, Grounds and Equipment being “cleaned” and fumigated, but not food stuff. Is this a practice in facilities that produce Breakfast Cereal? If so, why and how is it not endangering human health? If not, why is there a difference in practices?

Come on, people! Now we’re going beyond the idea of using ingredients that “aren’t so good” to using poisons around (and in) the product itself! No wonder some dogs get deathly sick (and yet there seems to be no pattern for a recall, or evidence by way of the pet’s symptoms) and yet thousands of other pets are eating that Brand without incident. Every dollar that’s spent on these conglomerates says the consumer doesn’t care enough to worry.

Is it good enough, that at this rate, the PF Business is selling you a product that’s gambling with YOUR pet’s life??

Interesting. I have had several large dogs make it to 15 or 16 years old; all have some dementia for the last year or 2. I switched to a homemade diet 2 years ago, but that has not stopped my 16 year old from dementia. It is heartbreaking: one dog who made it to 15 hardly knew who I was for his last 6 months.
Your theory appears to have some serious merit.

Aluminum amongst MANY other TOXINS are in vaccines as well, so people & pets are constantly having their bodies & immune system annihilated w/ poison after poison, after poison. It’s a miracle anyone survives these days!

I try not to feed my dog any preprocessed food anymore although it’s expensive and quite hard.

I sincerely believe I’m able to prolong my labs life expectancy by a couple of years by having him on a balanced, healthy diet. I’ve been at it for a while and at the very least I’ve noticed him having more energy.

“In summary, aluminum phosphide and magnesium phosphide are
expected to degrade rapidly in the environment to aluminum hydroxide and
magnesium hydroxide and phosphine, the toxicant of these pesticides. It
appears that phosphine will degrade in days and is at low risk for
contaminating ground or surface waters. Phosphine near the soil surface is
expected to diffuse into the atmosphere and be removed via photodegradation.
Phosphine trapped beneath the soil surface will bind to soil, inhibiting
movement, and be oxidized to phosphates.”

It looks like they’re saying the phosphine will not persist in food. The reason this sad situation happened in TX is because the owners hosed down where the aluminum phosphide had been placed, thus releasing the gas. I’m no fan of big pet food, but they do have to do something about pest control or we would all be screaming about rat poop (or actual rats) in the food.

Which “owners” are you talking about. Meaning the Plant Operator who accidentally mixed water with chemical and the result contaminated a canned food!? And I’m going back to my original question (perhaps on another Thread) but why isn’t there a pesticide issue (aka a contamination danger) when producing “Dinty Moore Stew” …. but JUST around Pet Food! I think we need to look at the specifics.